ISLAMABAD: Following Council of Common Interest (CCI) huddle, held here Monday (28th April, 2025), it was agreed upon that the issue of constructing 6 new canals on river Indus would be pondered upon at some other time and the project would not be carried out until 100% censuses is reached amongst the Provinces.
PTI’s Governor KP, Ali Amin Gandapur, while talking to Media after the meeting claimed that the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC)‘s decision (made on 7th Feb) apropos construction of new canals on River Indus under the Green Pakistan Initiative was rejected by CCI. According to details, keeping in view the wide-spread protests all over Sindh and objections raised by stakeholders, CCI has decided to send the issue back to the Indus River System Authority (IRSA). Overall 25 people discussed the six-points agenda.
It may be recalled that a day earlier two cops and 6 citizens (including an advocate) received injuries, while a Police vehicle was torched in Karachi when Police clashed with lawyers staging (a sit-in for 5 days) against the construction of controversial canals to irrigate Cholistan. Following the months-long protests, the GoP had announced halting of the project saying it would remain on hold until a consensus is reached in the CCI. The decision came after a unanimous Sindh Assembly resolution against the project, and concerns over India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty.
On 4th March a hundred Sindh University (SU) students, many affiliated with nationalist parties, were nabbed, and later released, when they protested against construction of six canals to irrigate Punjab’s millions of acres depriving lower riparian (Sindh) of its due share. Like many other entities, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRPC) too expressed its concern on 7th March vis-à-vis registration of FIR against 100 (40 named, 60 unnamed) SU students by Jamshoro Police on 5th March.
The Commission also noted that cops not only baton-charged the protesters, but also lobbed teargas shells to disperse them. This resulted into a clash between manifesting pupils and the Police. In the First Information Report (FIR), Police had accused the students of attacking cops (injuring two constables by pelting stones) and attempting to block Indus Highway illegally causing an embouteillage. According to sources fifteen students were injured when Police resorted to baton charging even the girls.
In the clips uploaded on Social Media SHO Aftab Memon too is seen beating and abusing students at the gate of Sindh University. It may be recalled that last year, on 10th Nov, a large number of slogan-raising men, women and children converged at Hatri Bypass (Hyderabad) to block the highway (causing hours long embouteillage) and stage a sit-in against government’s plan to construct 6 canals over Indus River. Accusing PPP of taking anti-Sindh decisions he said that the Party was paying a heavy cost for Zardari’s presidency by sacrificing the share of water.
Newspakistan.tv
